Live! Iran claims shooting down US C-130 aircraft in airman rescue operation

Iran says it downed US C-130, 'flying objects' in airman rescue operation

Iran said on Sunday that it had shot down an American C-130 aircraft and also destroyed several “flying objects” during a US operation aimed at locating a stranded airman.

Several "flying objects" were destroyed during the US mission to find a stranded airman in Iran, the Revolutionary Guards said on Sunday according to Tasnim news agency.

"During a joint operation (Aerospace, Ground Force, Popular Units, Basij and Police command), enemy flying objects were destroyed," the group said after Iran's police command announced an American C-130 aircraft had been downed in the south of Isfahan.

The spokesperson of Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, the unified command of the Iranian armed forces, said the downed aircraft included a C-130 military transport plane as well as two Black Hawk helicopters.

Amit Shah holds roadshow in Kerala's Beypore

Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday held a roadshow in Beypore assembly constituency where thousands of people turned up to greet the BJP leader on the campaign trail for the NDA ahead of the April 9 elections in the state.

Shah, who arrived at the Calicut airport on Saturday evening, held the roadshow from Mathottam Bijith Junction to Naduvattom here as hundreds of BJP workers and supporters lined both sides of the route carrying party flags and wearing saffron coloured headgear.

The people, of all ages, were waiting for Shah's roadshow since early morning, according to visuals on TV channels.

Shah, who arrived at Mathottam Bijith Junction around 11.20 am, climbed onto an open-top vehicle decked with flowers and waved to the crowd thronging both sides of the road carrying cutouts of the senior BJP leader.

As the roadshow commenced, to the tune of drum beats, the home minister showered flowers on the people on the roadside as they shouted slogans in favour of BJP, Shah and other party leaders.

The senior BJP leader was accompanied by advocate K P Prakash Babu, the party's candidate from Beypore constituency.

Kerala polls: Illegal kit distribution in Thrissur; police register, start probe

Police have registered a case and launched an investigation in connection with illegal distribution of household kits in parts of Thrissur city on April 4, the Election Commission said on Sunday.

The case was registered after an Election Flying Squad intercepted the unauthorised distribution of household kits near Olari Parthasarathy Temple and Karthika Super Market here, an EC statement said.

The incident occurred with just days remaining for the Assembly polls in Kerala on April 9.

The enforcement team, operating under the supervision of Executive Magistrate Dr Bindu T N, discovered that 26 kits, each valued at approximately Rs 900 and containing various miscellaneous household items, were being distributed, it said.

"Investigations conducted at the scene indicated that the distribution was carried out under the instructions of an individual identified as Radhakrishnan, and revealed that an additional 75 kits had already been distributed prior to the arrival of the authorities," it said.

The EC said that the alleged acts constitute offenses under sections 170(1)(i)(bribery in elections) and 173 (punishment for bribery) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and section 123(A)(1)(corrupt practices) of the Representation of the People Act.

MP lodge collapse toll rises to two; NDRF continues rescue ops

The death toll from the collapse of a four-storey lodge in Madhya Pradesh’s Anuppur district rose to two, as NDRF teams continued their operation to rescue those trapped under the debris, police said on Sunday.

‘Aggarwal Lodge', a building located near a bus stand in Kotma town, collapsed around 5.30 pm on Saturday, trapping several people in the vicinity. An official said the death toll has now risen to two, and five others are injured, of whom two are in a critical condition and have been sent to Shahdol for treatment.

The deceased were identified as Hanuman Deen Yadav (55) and Ramkripal Yadav (50), Anuppur Superintendent of Police Moti Ur Rahman said. He said that the rescue teams, including the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), conducted an overnight operation, and a search is underway for others trapped in the debris.

The ongoing construction work near the 10-year-old building is suspected to have contributed to the collapse, the SP said.

Anuppur Collector Harshal Pancholi said that five people were extricated from the debris, of which two have died.

According to eyewitnesses, a loud explosion sounded as the building collapsed, sending a cloud of dust engulfing the area. The bus stand area was teeming with commuters at the time of the incident, and construction work was underway on a nearby plot of land, they said.

US fighter jet pilot rescued in daring operation after Iran shoots down warplane

The US fighter jet pilot who was missing for two days after Iran shot down the warplane has been rescued in one of the most "daring operations" in the history of the United States, President Donald Trump said. According to Trump, the pilot has sustained injuries but "will be fine".

"WE GOT HIM! My fellow Americans, over the past several hours, the United States Military pulled off one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in U.S. History, for one of our incredible Crew Member Officers, who also happens to be a highly respected Colonel, and who I am thrilled to let you know is now SAFE and SOUND!" Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. 

The US military sent dozens of aircraft, armed with the "most lethal weapons in the world", to retrieve the pilot at Trump's direction, he said.

"This brave Warrior was behind enemy lines in the treacherous mountains of Iran, being hunted down by our enemies, who were getting closer and closer by the hour, but was never truly alone because his Commander in Chief, Secretary of War, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and fellow Warfighters were monitoring his location 24 hours a day, and diligently planning for his rescue," he said. 

Iran shot down the US F-15E Strike Eagle on Friday - which carried a pilot and a weapons system officer. While one of them was rescued immediately, another was missing. According to an Iranian media outlet, the fighter jet was targeted over central Iran and may have gone down in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province.

Iran war starts pinching US; gas prices, transport costs surge

The war against Iran has started to impact Americans, with Amazon announcing a fuel surcharge for its e-commerce deliveries and some airlines hiking fees for checked-in baggage to offset higher fuel costs.

The average price of petrol in the US has increased to USD 4.09 a gallon on Friday, up more than one dollar from just before the war and the highest level since August 2022.

The cost of diesel has risen sharply from USD 3.64 per gallon a year ago to USD 5.53 per gallon on Friday, according to data maintained by the American Automobile Association (AAA). Diesel is widely used in farming, construction and transportation, besides other industries.

E-commerce giant Amazon also said that, beginning April 17, it plans to add a 3.5 per cent fuel surcharge on third-party sellers.

The US Postal Service on Wednesday said it is seeking to impose a temporary 8 per cent fuel surcharge for package and express mail deliveries to deal with rising transportation costs.

If approved by the Postal Regulatory Commission, the surcharge would take effect April 26 and remain in place until January 17, 2027, the Postal Service said in a notice on its website.

If the war against Iran stretches longer, it will also lead to supply chain disruptions in the US.

“I don’t think the US will avoid it. These are global markets,” Rachel Ziemba, a New York-based analyst who advises corporations on geopolitical risk, was quoted by The Washington Post as saying. “Experts, even a week ago, were worried. Now they are more worried,” she said.

"If transportation costs start rising, it's going to bleed through in other prices," Austan Goolsbee, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, was quoted as saying by CBS.

Iran rejects Trump’s 48-hour ultimatum, vows ‘devastating’ response to any attack

Iran on Saturday brushed aside US President Donald Trump's threat to destroy Tehran's vital infrastructure if a peace deal is not reached within 48 hours, calling the ultimatum "a helpless, nervous, unbalanced and stupid action".

The response from General Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi, representing the "Khatam al-Anbiya" Central Headquarters, comes after Trump wrote on Truth Social that "all hell reign down" on Iran if a peace deal is not reached and the critical checkpoint Strait of Hormuz is not reopened.

Abdollahi warned that any US or Israeli strike on Iran's infrastructure would be met with "devastating and continuous" attacks on all US military assets in the Middle East and on Israeli infrastructure, per Fars news agency. "After having admitted successive defeats, the aggressive and warmongering president of the United States has, in a desperate,nervous,unbalanced and foolish move, threatened (to target) Iran's infrastructure and national assets," he said.

He said the Iranian armed forces would not hesitate "for a moment" to defend the country's rights and protect national assets and "will put the aggressors in their place."

US and Iran race to find missing crew member from downed military plane

The search is on for one missing US service member while another was rescued after two US warplanes went down in separate incidents including the first shoot-down since the Iran war began nearly five weeks ago.

The incidents occurred just two days after President Donald Trump said in a national address that the US has “beaten and completely decimated Iran.” One fighter jet was shot down in Iran, officials said. A US crew member from that plane was rescued, but a second was missing, and a US military search-and-rescue operation was underway.

Separately, Iranian state media said a US A-10 attack aircraft crashed in the Persian Gulf after being struck by Iranian defence forces. A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive military situation, said it was not clear if the aircraft crashed or was shot down.

The war now entering its sixth week is destabilising economies around the world as Iran responds to the US and Israeli attacks by targeting the Gulf region's energy infrastructure and tightening its grip on oil and natural gas shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.

Pope Leo XIV celebrates first Easter vigil, calls for harmony in world torn by war

Pope Leo XIV, carrying a tall, lit candle through a darkened and silent St Peter's Basilica, ushered in Christianity's most joyous celebration with his first Easter vigil service as pontiff Saturday night, urging that Easter would bring harmony and peace to a world torn by wars.

Easter for Christians commemorates Christ's triumph over death with his resurrection following his crucifixion.

Lighting the candle before he entered the basilica, the pope intoned: “The light of Christ who rises in glory." Candle bearers stopped to light candles of the congregants as they walked down the central aisle, spreading flickers of light through the dark basilica before the lights went up as the pope arrived at the baroque main altar, followed by cardinals dressed in white.

In his homily, Leo called sin "a heavy barrier that closes us off and separates us from God, seeking to kill his words of hope within us", and likened it to the stone that had covered Jesus' tomb — but which was found overturned, revealing Jesus' resurrection.

Leo said that there are stones representing sins to be overturned today, some "so heavy and so closely guarded that they seem to be immovable".

"Some weigh heavily on the human heart, such as mistrust, fear, selfishness and resentment; others stemming from these inner struggles, sever the bonds between us through war, injustice and the isolation of peoples and nations.

"Let us not allow ourselves to be paralysed by them!” the pope said, calling on the faithful to make a commitment “so that the Easter gifts of harmony and peace may grow and flourish everywhere and always throughout the world".

Airstrikes in southwest Iran killed 3, wounded others: State media

Airstrikes in southwest Iran have killed at least three people and wounded others, according to Iranian state media.

The attack took place in the same area where a missing American crew member is believed to be.

Meanwhile, the commander of the joint military command, Gen Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi, said his country will target all infrastructure used by the US military in the region, as well as Israel's infrastructure, if aggression against Iran escalates.

His comments on Saturday evening, carried by state media, came a few hours after Trump warned Tehran to open the Strait of Hormuz or face devastating consequences.“The doors of hell will be opened to you” if Iran's infrastructure is attacked, Aliabadi said in response to Trump's renewed threat, state media reported.

The war began with joint US-Israel strikes on Feb 28 and has killed thousands, shaken global markets, cut off key shipping routes and spiked fuel prices. Both sides have threatened, and hit, civilian targets, bringing warnings of possible war crimes.

“Time is running out - 48 hours before all Hell will reign down on them,” Trump said via social media, as he re-upped a previous April 6 deadline for opening the shipping channel.